In the Blink of an Eye
by Light.and.Waves
Summary: Life holds many surprises. Good and bad. One's life is defined by the way one chooses to deal with the obstacles presented to them. What will Brennan and Booth decide to do with their difficulties? Brennan & Booth centered, mainly.
1. In Dreams

**Author's Note:** **Ok. So this is my first Bones fanfic. Actually my first fanfic ever. I apologize in advance for any mistakes I make. English is not my first language, so there may be some misspelling or misuse of some words. **

**I hope you like my story, and please review it when you finish. I'll love to know whether you're liking it or not.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or any of the characters. This story has entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

**Chapter 1 – In Dreams**

She preferred to work late at night. Half of Washington D.C. was sound asleep. It was quieter, peaceful, and her mind didn't have any distractions to dwell with.

She took the files containing information of the remains the FBI had found that morning, trying hard to keep herself awake. However, it seemed lately that her body didn't have the same disposition of her mind. She was having trouble concentrating, her eyelids seeming to have a will of their own, asking her to call it a night and continue on the following day. Despite the fact that she had a pile of files to go through that night, she gave in to her body's plead for rest and fell asleep on her desk –the lights still on-, telling herself that she would wake up earlier the next day and make up for the time she lost.

5:30 am. _Ok..not that bad, _Brennan thought. She wasn't nearly as relaxed as she hoped she'd be, her body a little sore from the terrible position in which she had slept in. Figuring the temptation to crawl into bed would be too big for her to resist if she stayed home, she decided to arrive early at the Jeffersonian and finish her work at her office.

* * *

He woke up startled. He noticed his forehead was very sweaty. He was hyperventilating and his heart rate was faster than usual. Booth got up from his bed, walked straight to the bathroom, opened the sink and threw some water on his face. _What just happened?, _he thought.

It wasn't long before he remembered the nightmare he had just woken up from. They were on the top of a cliff. She was hanging from the edge, her fingernails scratching the hard ground, trying desperately to climb back up. He held on tight to her arms, pulling her up with all his strength. She started slipping, a terrified look on her face. He tried holding onto her as much as he could, but she kept sliding down and ,after a few moments, he lost his grip on her. For a second it seemed that everything around him had frozen. There were no sounds, no movements. It seemed as if the world had just stopped turning. But then he heard distant screams. His stomach contracted in fear. He could recognize her voice. He looked down, only to see her nearly reaching the ground. He shouted her name. She kept falling. He was going to lose her, and there was nothing he could do. He just stood there watching, powerless, praying for a miracle. Only he wasn't sure if he got his miracle or not, for an instant before the crash she simply vanished.

_It meant nothing_, he said to himself. _It was just a dream._ Despite his attempt to reassure himself, he couldn't shake off that weird feeling. Unwillingly, he kept replaying the nightmare in his mind. That terrible image of Brennan slipping away from his hands wouldn't leave him. Realizing he was too agitated to go back to sleep, he decided he'd leave earlier than usual and stop by the Jeffersonian on his way to work. _Just to be sure_, he thought.

Booth took a quick shower, not wanting to admit it was because he wanted to get to the Jeffersonian as quickly as possible. He knew it was irrational to worry like that. It was just a stupid, meaningless nightmare. He also knew that Brennan would laugh at him if he told her why he was there so early. She always refused to accept that dreams were anything more than pointless manifestations of the subconscious. But this time, he didn't care if she was going to laugh to his face. For some reason his nightmare was bothering him more than other bad dreams he'd had in the past. And he knew why. When it came to Brennan, his alert senses were always more sensitive. He liked to tell himself that it was because she was his partner, and therefore he needed to keep her safe. But he knew that during the long time they had been working together he had developed a strong attachment to her. And it wasn't just work-related. He had become dependant of their conversations, of her teasing him, of their incessant bickering. He enjoyed spending time with her more than he'd like to admit. So besides his natural protectiveness of his partner, there were other feelings involved. He was concerned about his friend. Well, probably not _just_ a friend to him, but that's what they were, officially.

Not wanting to delay his visit any longer, he just had a cup of coffee and decided he'd get some breakfast after he made sure she was fine. So he grabbed his badge and his gun, almost forgetting his car keys while he headed out.

He drove slightly faster than usual. There was no traffic at that time of day, _thank God, _Booth thought, so he was able to get to the Jeffersonian in only a few minutes.

* * *

Crossing the long corridors of the Institute, he tensed up a little. _What if she's not here yet? _worried Booth. He shook his head at himself. This was Brennan. It was very likely that she was already bending over some remains as he headed to the lab. His confirmation came from the bright lights coming from her office. A small smirk crossed his face. _That's my Bones._

He quickened his pace a little and got to her glass door, already open, a focused Brennan sitting on her desk reading some files. She didn't notice his arrival, so he knocked softly at the door.

Brennan's gaze turned from her papers to the door, wanting to find out who was her early-hour visitor. When she noticed it was him, she smiled.

"Booth? What are you doing here?"

Noticing the indelicacy, she added "Sorry" and laughed a little. "Good morning, Booth", she said, broadening her smile.

"Good morning, Bones" he replied, also smiling. The mere sight of her made his whole body relax.

"Why are you here so early?" she asked, curious.

"Couldn't sleep, so I figured I should go to work earlier today. Then I imagined you were probably already working and thought I'd stop by and see if you want to get some breakfast" he answered, omitting the part about his nightmare. She was alright. _I don't have to tell her about the dream._

Looking at all the files spread across her desk she thought of turning down his offer, but she didn't want to say no to him, and she was also tired of analyzing that case for so long, so she said "Sure" and started to rise from her chair, before adding "Just not pie, though" a huge smile forming on her lips.

"That's fine by me", Booth said, grabbing her coat and helping her put it on. "No pie today".

* * *

**So? What did you think? I hope you all enjoyed it. Please leave a review and let me know. I'll work on the next chapter and update as soon as possible. This is only the beginning and there are some important things that are going to happen in the future. So sorry if this first chapter didn't have much action!**


	2. Talk Tonight

**Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews. To ****Aching Bones****: While I can't say there won't be some angst in this story, I can assure you that I'm not at all a fan of tragic endings. I can't make any promises now, but I can say that I have a point and it might take a while but I think most readers will enjoy it when it comes. So thank you Ger and ****ttuzz**** for your encouraging reviews. Hope you like what's coming next. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or any of the characters. This story has entertainment purposes only. ****No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Talk Tonight**

"Hey Angela" Booth greeted joyfully.

"Hi Booth" she replied with a small smile. "Aren't you supposed to be interrogating our suspect right now?"

"I am." Booth answered. "I just came here to pick up Bones. She said she wanted to be present during the interrogation."

When he got no further comments, he asked "Is she in her office?"

Angela hesitated for a moment. "Yes she is. But…"

"But what?" Booth questioned with an inquisitory look on his face.

"Well…it's just that since earlier this afternoon Brennan's been a little irritated" She started. "Hodgins said he saw her on the phone and she looked a bit upset, so we're all thinking that maybe that's what has been bothering her" she continued. "I've tried talking to her but she said nothing's wrong, so I just came out here and continued working".

"Uhmm" Booth murmured. "I'll see what I can get her to tell me" he said as he walked away from Angela, heading towards Brennan's office.

* * *

He saw her through the glass doors and walls, paperwork spread over her desk. But she had her eyes fixed on the couch in front of her. _Something is clearly wrong for Bones not to be focusing on her work_, he thought. _Let's find out what it is._

"Heeey Bones" he said with a cheerful voice, trying to hide the fact that he knew something was going on with her

His voice took her away from her deep thoughts, and she raised her eyes to the doorframe where he stood. "Hi Booth" she replied, giving him a small smile.

Despite her attempt to hide what was happening, Booth could tell she was forcing that smile so he wouldn't bring up the subject. So he decided to let it go for the moment.

"Came to pick you up for the interrogation" Booth said, reminding her of the agreement they made on the previous day.

"Right" she said, sounding a little distant. "About that…" she spoke pausedly. "Would you mind if I don't go this time?" she continued. "I know we agreed to go together, and I'm sorry to change our plans with such short notice, but I just have a lot of work to do here so I thought we could work separately today and get more things done."

"Uh…yeah…sure" Booth replied. "I'll call you later to tell you if there's any new information, then".

"Ok. Sounds good" Brennan said. "I'll talk to you later, then".

"Ok, Bones" Booth said as he started turning away to leave. When he got to the door, however, he stopped and turned back to face her. "Bones…" he said softly. "Is everything ok?" he asked.

Brennan just stared at him, as if wondering what he was talking about.

So he continued. "I mean…you seem a little disconnected today".

"Disconnected?" she said, without meeting his eyes. "Nope…everything's fine, Booth. There's just too much on my mind today".

"Are you sure?" he insisted.

"Yes, Booth, I'm sure" she said with an annoyed sigh. "Now can I please go back to work?" she said with an _end-of-conversation_ tone in her voice.

Booth looked a little hurt, and Brennan noticed it. She felt bad for treating him like that when all he was doing was looking out for her. But sometimes she just wanted to be left alone. And this was one of those times.

"Bye, Bones" Booth said in a low voice, turning away without waiting enough time so she could answer.

* * *

On his way out of the Jeffersonian, Booth accidentally bumped into Angela, sending the files she held directly to the floor.

"I'm sorry, Angela" Booth apologized as he bent down to pick up the files.

"Didn't go well, did it?" Angela asked, already knowing the answer to that.

"She wouldn't tell me anything" Booth said, sounding a little upset. "And she's not coming to the interrogation anymore".

"I'm sorry, Booth" Angela said. "Just give her time" she continued. "You know Brennan always confides in you" she put a hand on his shoulder. "You have a special way to make her open up" Angela said with a smile. "She's probably just confused right now, but I'm sure she'll talk to you eventually".

"I guess you're right" Booth said, appearing slightly more hopeful. "I'll see you guys soon" he said. "I'm in a bit of a hurry now" he added, handing her all the papers he had made her drop and turning to leave.

"Bye, Booth" Angela said as she waved him goodbye. "Lock up that son of a bitch and make us proud" she teased.

Booth gave a loud laugh before disappearing through the long corridors of the Jeffersonian Institute.

* * *

Night fell, announcing the end of one more day of work. Brennan slowly gathered all her things, turned off the lights in her office and headed to the parking lot.

She drove home slowly, thinking of all of that day's events, trying to figure out what she would do about them. Not being able to come to a decent solution, she simply decided to try to forget about it that night, postponing the time when she'd have to deal with it.

She took a long bubble bath, made herself some coffee and settled in the couch, while listening to her favorite jazz CD. She closed her eyes, relaxing at the sound of the music, almost falling asleep. A knock on the door made her come back from her trance. She got up quickly, feeling a little dizzy while she walked to the door. She opened it and there he way. _Typical_, she thought, smiling slightly. He usually came by her house when he thought something was wrong with her.

"Hey there, Bones" he smiled. "Brought you some Thai food" he said, looking at her as if seeking for approval.

She opened the door a little more, allowing him to enter. "Come on in" she said, helping him with the take-out bags.

They sat beside each other in the sofa, after Brennan got drinks for both of them. Booth told her about how the interrogation went and she listened carefully. Apparently they had caught the wrong guy. They discussed minor details of the case, deciding how they would act next, and after they finished discussing work, a sudden silence fell between them.

It took a few minutes before Booth started. "Bones..." he said, and she knew, before he could say anything else, where he was going with this conversation.

"Booth" she interrupted. "Can't you just leave it alone?" she asked, pleadingly.

"I'd rather not" he replied. He looked at her, and she lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze. "Bones, look at me please" he asked her. At his request, she raised her eyes to look at him. "Bones, I need you to talk to me" he continued. "Please" he said, reaching out his hand to rest on top of hers.

Brennan looked deep into his eyes for a moment, and then turned her gaze to the living room's windows, as if deciding whether to say something or not.

"What happened?" he insisted, with a sweet tone in his voice.

She finally turned her gaze back to him before saying "My father called me today". She took a deep breath and continued "He called from jail, saying he wanted to have a big family talk…Him, Russ and I".

"And why is that bothering you so much?" Booth questioned, not understanding why this would leave her so upset.

"I don't know" he answered honestly. "I already knew he wanted me to testify in his favor…but now this…" her voice faltered, and Booth could notice some tears forming in the corner of her eyes, despite her attempt to hold them inside.

"He wants to tell us everything. All that happened since before Russ and I were born, why they left…everything" she continued.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Booth asked, still confused.

Brennan stood up, the anxiety evident in her every move. "It should be, I guess. But…somehow I don't think I want to know. I don't want to hear it" she said, her voice almost inaudible.

"But why, Bones?" Booth inquired. "You, of all people…" he added. "You're the one who always wants to know the truth. The one who doesn't like to mask the reality. The one who prefers to know everything, no matter how hard the truth may be" he continued. "Why wouldn't you want to hear what your father has to say?" he asked.

"It's different now. This is my family" she said. "Why open up those old wounds again, Booth?" she said with her voice rising. "They left me. No matter how noble their reason was, they left me. Left us" she said with a broken tone.

"I don't know what to believe anymore" Brennan told him. "Sometimes I think my father loves me, but then…I don't know. He could be doing this so we'd fell sorry for him".

"He loves you" Booth interrupted. "He stayed because he loves you, Bones" he added. "Don't doubt that. He just did what a father had to do to protect the ones he loved most in the world" he said in a reassuring tone.

Brennan just stared at him, unable to say anything.

"You should go, Bones. Listen to what he has to say" Booth said when she remained silent. "If you don't then you can wake up one day in the future and wonder what could have been" he added. "And there are few things in this life worse than regret" he said.

Booth got up from the couch, walking over to where Brennan was standing. He placed a hand on his arm, squeezing it softly, as an act of encouragement.

Without thinking twice, Brennan turned to hug him, burying her head on his chest. She tried her best not to let the tears that were forming escape, but her efforts weren't enough and she let out a few of them.

Booth held her tight in the embrace, caressing her hair and whispering words of comfort. "Everything will be ok, Bones. Just give your father time to explain it all" he said.

She let herself hold on to the embrace a little longer. She always felt safe in his arms. And even if just for a moment, when he hugged her all the pain and despair she felt seemed to go away. "Thank you, Booth" she said in a nearly inaudible whisper. "Thank you".

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**I hope everyone liked this chapter. Thank you again for reading. Please review and tell me what you think. Next chapter will be up as soon as possible.  
**


	3. Close Enough

**Author's Note: ****Hey there. It's great to see you're already coming up with your own theories. It will take some time before I get deep into this storyline, since it's not the main plot I have planned, but I will eventually get to it and we'll see how close you've come to it!**

**Thanks again for reviewing, it makes me really happy. Now let's get going with this story. Please review after reading. I really like to know if everyone is enjoying it, so I can correct my mistakes and make it more pleasant for everyone who's reading.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or any of the characters. This story has entertainment purposes only. ****No copyright infringement intended.**

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**Chapter 3 –**** Close Enough**

"There he is" Brennan whispered, pointing her finger at a spot a few feet ahead of where they were standing "in the dark blue coat, over the fountain".

Booth looked at the place she pointed, immediately acknowledging it was indeed the man they were looking for.

* * *

They had received an anonymous call the day before, telling them to pick up a package left in an alley next to Royal Diner. The caller said it had something to do with the case they were trying to solve in the past few days, but he refused to give any more details and hung up quickly, probably afraid they'd be able to trace the call and go after him. Both of them had dropped everything else they were doing, and headed straight to the alley they were instructed to go to. At the end of the alley, where they was hardly any light, a small box was hidden behind some large garbage cans.

Booth stared at the box for a long time, afraid it was some kind of trap, and then noticed there were some writings on the top of the box which read _To Dr. Brennan and Special Agent Booth_, in a tiny, messy handwriting. _The caller obviously knows who's handling the case_, Booth thought.

He carefully approached the box, hesitating for a moment before picking it up from the floor. He shook the box slightly, rolling up his eyes and giving an annoyed sight after Brennan's sarcastic _"What? Are you afraid it's going to explode?" _

Figuring the box itself wasn't much of a threat, they put it inside the car trunk and drove to the Jeffersonian, where they could analyze it's contents more carefully and without being disturbed by anyone.

Inside was a picture of a middle-aged, tall, strong man. After a closer look, they noticed the name Victor Strauss written on the back of the photograph. Along with the picture, came a small note which read:

_Meridian Hill Park_

_Tomorrow_

_4pm_

* * *

And right in front of them stood the man in the picture, at the exact place and time informed by the note.

Booth started to slowly walk towards the man in the picture, but turned his head around when he noticed Brennan was coming after him. "Hey" he said, stretching his arm in front of her to stop her. "You're staying here" he added.

"What?" she said. "No way, I'm coming with you" she continued, in a stubborn tone.

"No, you're not" Booth replied. "You're staying right here, and you're going to wait for me to come back, do you understand?"

"Booth…"she tried to argue.

"Listen, Bones. We don't know exactly who this guy is and I don't want to scare him before we get any kind of information, ok?"

"Yeah, fine" she said in a slightly annoyed tone.

"I'll be right back", he said, before he continued making his way to the man who was still standing by the fountain, apparently waiting for someone.

Booth approached the man slowly, pretending to be enjoying the view, while what he really was doing was keeping an eye on the guy he was after and checking to see if his gun was in place if he needed it.

When he was only a couple of steps away from the man, he said "Excuse me sir, are you Mr. Victor Strauss?"

The man turned his gaze to look at whoever was talking to him. "Yes, why do you ask?" he replied, after seeing Booth standing next to him.

Booth took out his badge and showed it to him. "I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth" he said.

Before Booth could say anything else, Victor Strauss punched him in the face, catching him off guard. Booth almost fell backwards due to the man's unbelievable strength, giving Mr. Strauss time to start running really fast in the opposite direction.

Only a fraction of a second later, after he'd manage to get out of the mind confusion state caused by the strong punch, Booth turned his head around to look at Brennan and said loudly "You stay right there" before he started chasing after the man who had hit him.

He took his gun out of his holster and shouted "Stop right there or I'll shoot" while running as fast as he could.

It was no use. Mr. Strauss continued to run away, ignoring Booth's threat. The distance between them only kept growing larger, because of Strauss' dishonest advantage and Booth's slight dizziness. The park was not exactly crowded, but there was a fairly significant amount of people walking through the paths and sitting on the benches, so Booth could not risk shooting his gun and hitting someone innocent.

After chasing Mr. Strauss for almost ten minutes, Booth acknowledged his defeat that day and stopped running. Victor Strauss was nearly out of sight, and Booth's condition wouldn't allow him to catch up with the fugitive. He stood in the same place for a couple of minutes, cursing under his breath, hating the fact that there was nothing he could do at that moment.

After part of his rage had washed away, he started his long walk back to Brennan, realizing it would take him almost half an hour to get to the spot where he had left her.

* * *

Despite her first impulse to go after him, Brennan had remained at the exact place Booth had told her to. The long wait was making her feel a little worried something had gone wrong, and that made her nervous and agitated at the same time.

Almost an hour after he left, she looked up and saw a familiar silhouette. He was walking towards her very slowly, still far away at the end of the rock path. But she didn't wait for him to reach her. The moment she recognized it was him she had stood up from the bench in which she was nervously waiting, and started heading his way with a quickened pace, almost running.

When she finally got to him, she immediately lifted her hands to his face to examine his injury. He flinched with the pain of her fingers pressing through his face to see if any bones were broken.

"Ouch" he said while stepping back to release himself from the uncomfortable check-up.

"Stop being such a baby" she replied. "I need to see if you're ok" she added, moving a little forward as if she would continue the painful examination.

"I'm fine, I'm fine" Booth said quickly, holding her hands down so she wouldn't touch his face again.

"You're bleeding, Booth" she insisted.

He knew she wouldn't let go of this easily.

"That's nothing, Bones" he tried to convince her, "just a little cut" he said as he gave her a small smile to show her he was doing fine.

"You're impossible, you know that?" she said, not really annoyed, just trying to sound like it.

"I'll take that as a compliment" he replied before grinning.

Brennan said nothing. She just rolled her eyes up and smiled a little.

Booth suddenly closed his eyes and for a moment it seemed like he was going to pass out.

Brennan held his arms tightly, preventing him from falling and shook him carefully.

"Booth?" she called. "Are you ok?

"Yeah" he said, breathing heavily. "It just went all black for an instant" he added. "But I'm fine now".

Brennan looked at him with concern evident in her eyes. "You need to sit down for a while" she suggested. "Come on" she said while she put one of his arms around her shoulders. "Let me help you".

Both of them started walking slowly, headed towards the bench she had stood up from a few minutes earlier. She supported most of his weight, since he was still a little disoriented from the strong blow to the face.

"Go on" she said. "Sit down" she continued, while helping him settle down on the bench.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Brennan insisted after looking at him and analyzing if he seemed to be doing good. "Don't you want to go to the hospital or something?" she asked.

"Nah…" he dismissed her offer. "I'll be fine" he said. "Really" he added when she just stared at him without saying a word. "The guy just had a lot of strength, that's all" he said as he touched his face carefully. "I'll be as good as new in no time".

"Yeah, well…" she started. "You need to go home and lie down" she continued. "Oh! And you also need to put some ice on that".

"Yes, mommy" he teased.

"Haha, very funny, mister" she faked a hurt look.

He just looked at her for a few seconds, thoughtful, and gave her a sweet smile.

"Let's go" he said, as he brought his mind back to reality and slowly tried to stand up. He stopped for a moment, apparently looking for something in his pocket. Brennan waited curiously but patiently, without asking him what he was doing.

"Here" he said, stretching his arm to hand her something. "You drive" he smiled widely, as he handed her his car keys.

* * *

**So? Was that any good? Go ahead and push that cute little purple-ish button below and make me happy!!**


	4. Full Communication

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Once again, thank you for your reviews. They make me very happy and keep me going. I'm sorry this chapter took so long to be updated, but I was busy in the past days and couldn't get around to finish it until now. We're getting closer to what I had planned since the beginning, but there's still some development needed, so I hope everyone enjoys it!**

**Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I still don't own Bones. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Full Communication**

"How's your head?" an unannounced Temperance Brennan came storming into Booth's office, causing him to jump out of his chair a few inches.

"Bones" he said in a loud voice, lifting his hand to his chest "one of these days you're going to give me a heart attack, you know that?"

Brennan circled around the chairs across his desk, sitting on the one immediately in front of the one he was working on.

"You're such a girl, scaring easily like that" she teased, shooting him a playful glance.

He pretended to take offense from her comment. "Do you see these handcuffs here, Bones?" he asked as he held them up in the air.

She just kept looking at him, trying to suppress a laugh.

"They haven't been used in a while" he continued in a joking tone.

Brennan tried acting shocked. "You wouldn't dare" she challenged.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that" Booth replied, hardly managing to control his urge to laugh out loud.

"And charge me with what, exactly?"

"Disrespect for a federal authority" he replied simply, with an _"I win"_ grin on his face.

She laughed softly "You amuse me, Booth".

"Yeah well, it's one of my many talents" he replied joking, with a nonchalant tone to his voice.

She didn't say anything. She simply stared into his eyes deeply, with a sweet smile across her lips. Booth smiled back at her, and both of them held the gaze for a brief moment, which to them seemed to last for several hours. Starting to feel slightly embarrassed by the awkward silence that fell upon them, Brennan dropped her eyes and looked at his desk, pretending to be interested in what he was doing before her sudden entrance.

"So" Booth said, trying to seem casual, "why are you here?" he asked. Realizing that might have come out a little rude, he added "I mean, is there something wrong?"

As if finally remembering why she was there, Brennan replied "Oh right...No, there's nothing wrong" she said, shaking her head.

She hesitated for an instant before finishing what she had begun to say. "Uhm...I wanted to ask you a favor" she continued in an almost whisper.

"If this is about you wanting a gun again..."

"It's not about a gun" she interrupted him.

Booth seemed curious. "What is it about, then?"

"Well..." she started "tomorrow is the second anniversary of my mother's burial".

"Yes, I know" Booth said understandingly.

"And I was wondering if you could go with me to the cemetery" she continued. "But only if you're not too busy or..."

"Of course I'll go" he said before she continued, without having to think twice.

No matter how independent she had always been, this was one of the areas in her life that were most sensitive to her. Booth had been there the first time, one year after her mother's body was buried, giving her support - even if unspoken - and it only seemed right that he would be there again this time.

A little surprised, but very grateful for his immediate response, Brennan placed her hand on top of his, above his desk, and held it tight.

"Thank you, Booth".

He squeezed her hand a little tighter, in return.

"For everything" she continued.

He knew how hard it was for her to have to ask anyone for help. She never liked to admit that she could be just as vulnerable as anybody else. And what he didn't like to admit was that he loved being that person for her, the one she confided in and leaned on when things were too much to bear.

"You don't have to thank me, Bones" he said. "I'll see you tomorrow".

She got up from her chair to leave. Almost reaching the door, she turned around to face him again "see you tomorrow" she smiled. "And _yes_, Booth, I do".

* * *

Booth drove by her apartment very early in the morning. The sun had just finished rising, and Washington D.C. was just starting to awake. Brennan had had some trouble sleeping in the previous night. She knew she'd never get used to visiting her mother's grave, but she hoped that, somehow, it would get easier with time.

After picking up Booth's call telling her he was waiting in the car, she had grabbed a light pink envelope from the small table beside the door and headed towards the elevator.

When she reached the bottom floor, she saw him through the glass doors of her building. His car was parked right in front of the building entrance, and he was leaning against the passenger door, holding two cups of coffee, waiting for her. She pushed the glass door open, and, at the sight of her walking towards him, Booth straightened up. He outstretched his arm, handing her one of the cups. "Morning, Bones", he smiled.

Brennan smiled in return, gratitude evident in her face. Booth pulled the passenger door open, allowing her to hop inside, and closed it behind her, walking towards the driver's door.

Booth looked to his right, trying to figure out his partner's emotional state. "I know this is not the best time, but we have some new information on the case" he said in a low, soft tone.

"Booth, I've told you I am fine" she replied. "What is the new information?"

She didn't normally like small talk. Ever since her parents disappeared, everyone around her seemed to talk about everything except that particular subject. She didn't like the fake atmosphere, where everyone tried to avoid the topic and pretend everything was alright. But on this particular day she was almost grateful to talk about anything other than her family. She imagined even talking about the weather would please her. And that was the Booth she knew. He usually knew the right time to approach different subjects. He often knew when she was open to talk about her private life and when she didn't want to go there. Except, of course, when he was trying to purposefully annoy her. That was one of the many reasons she appreciated Booth's company. He usually knew exactly what to say and when to say it.

"Well..." he started. "The FBI forensics team found some fingerprints in the box we got in the alley", Booth continued. "They belong to one Josh Smith, who's already been arrested several times for various offenses, and, guess what?" he asked but answered his question himself "One of the charges was sexual harassment".

"So you think this is our guy?" she asked.

"It is likely", Booth said. "The woman was raped before she was murdered, so there's a good chance we're dealing with the murderer here".

She simply nodded in response.

"The FBI is already looking for any clues on a possible location, so we'll go check it out as soon as there's something to work with" Booth continued.

"Ok then" she said. "Hodgins said he's almost finished in identifying the murder location, so we'll have more to help us soon".

Brennan stopped talking as Booth reduced the speed of the car. "We're here", he announced.

They both stepped out of the car, and started walking slowly, side by side, to where her mother's tombstone stood.

"_Oh..._", Booth said loudly. "I almost forgot", his voice lowered as he turned around and headed back to the car.

"What is it?" Brennan asked intrigued.

She watched him open the back door of his car and take something out of the back seat.

Flowers. A large bouquet of various kinds of flowers. She hadn't seen them when she got inside the car. _Probably because my mind was wandering a little,_ she thought. She found them all beautiful, especially a small yellow one that stood out even in the middle of bigger flowers.

Booth held them firmly in his arms, and walked in large steps to where he had left her standing. "Let's go" he encouraged.

Coming to a stop when they finally reached the grave that belonged to Christine Brennan, Booth remained in silence for a few moments, saying a short prayer in his mind. Looking to his side, he saw her eyes fixed on the gravestone. He slowly pulled out a single flower from the bouquet. "This one is for you", he offered.

Taken by surprise, Brennan looked up to him and smiled sweetly. It was the small yellow one. She reached out her hand, taking the flower and letting both their hands touch briefly.

Breaking the contact gently, Booth bent down and placed the flowers in the ground before him. "Take your time" he said, pulling himself back up and slowly taking a few steps to let her have some alone time with her mother.

He watched her remain quiet for a long time, looking at the epitaph. Even from the distance he could tell she had watery eyes. Brennan looked up to the bright blue sky with a distant gaze, as if a million thoughts were rushing through her mind. Booth watched as a single tear escaped her control, rolling down her cheek, and she wiped it dry with her hand. She knelt down, and uttered a few words which he was unable to distinguish because of the distance.

Before getting back to her feet, she searched for something inside her coat pocket. Booth saw her taking out the pale pink envelope and placing it carefully beside the flowers he had left there. With one last glance to the gravestone, Brennan stood up and looked at Booth, her eyes inviting him back to stand next to her.

When he was close enough to hear her, she started "I know she can't listen, and obviously she's not able to read it...". She sighed before continuing "but I just thought I would feel better if I did something".

Booth waited patiently for her to finish so he could speak, but was interrupted once again.

"And I'm better with written words" she added. "I know you think it's not the same, but it's easier for me".

"It's the thought that counts" Booth finally managed to say. "And Bones, even if she can't hear you, or read what you wrote...she'll know" he said in a low voice.

"It doesn't make much sense" she sighed. "I don't even know why I did it".

"You can't have a rational explanation for everything, Bones". He placed a hand in her shoulder, trying to offer some silent comfort. "I think you did a great thing", he smiled at her.

"Thanks for coming with me, Booth", she said looking directly at his eyes.

He reached for her hand, taking if gently in his and giving it a little squeeze. "Whenever you need me".

* * *

**Once again, I apologize for the long time it took for this update. And I hope everyone enjoyed it. Please review it if you have time and let me know your thoughts. Hating it? Liking it? Any other constructive comments? I'd really like to hear from everyone. Thank you all for reading.**

**I'll really try hard to post the next chapter quicker. Thanks for being patient.**


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